Reducing-valve for automobile torpedoes.



w. mma.

REDUCiNG VALVES PSR AUTOMOBLE TORPEDOES. APPucATxou msn ma. 1s, :91s.

il@ meme@ Apr. zei 1915,

INVENTOR M@ l u WBMACAM/ WELLIM DIETER, 0F NEW YQRK, N. Y.,

lilhll' "E nssren'on 'ro n. nl. snrss contres?, or

BROOKLYN, NEW YORIQ. A CORPORATEGN 0F WEST VIRGIHL.

EEDUCI'NGLVLVE FDE', AUTQMOBILE TGBPEDOES.

Specncatien ci Letters Patent.

raten-reo npr. so, reis.

Application le April l5, 1313. Serial Eo, 761,298.

To all Awhom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WELIAM Dieren, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Reducing- Velves for Automobile Torpedoes, of which the following is e specification.

In the modern automobile torpedo, com pressed air is stored in the reservoir or air )flask at a pressure of at leest2`20 pounds per square inch; this air is connedby e Starting valve which opens automatically during the launching, thereby admitting the highvpressure air to a reducing 'valve which .reduces its pressure to approximately from l00 to 600 pounds per square inch (depending upon the-speed for which the torpedo is set) the air et this reduced pressure is conducted through e heater (technically called' e. superheater) in .which a iierce combustion is maintained durin the run by the burning o1 alcohol or other uidfoombustible therein, accompanied by e spray of VWater which is converted into steam, so that the steam and products 'of combustion add greatly to the volume ofthe motive fluid, and increase greatly the ower exerted by compressed air alone; this liluid is conducted from the superhea-ter to the engine, which in the Bliss- Leeifitt torpedo is a turbine. The reducing valve requires to have great strength because of the high pressure admitted to it, and it requires n high degree of sensitiveness in order that the air delivered from it may be held es nearly as possible at the predetermined pressure during the entire period oi the run. A dilicultyis involved in that While the initial air pressure exceeds E220() pounds, this pressure progressively diminishes during the run, `until toward the end .of the run it may fell below 600 pounds. lt has been 'ound impossible to construct and adjust a pressure regulator which is adaptable to these extreme conditions, and which can maintain an ideal uniformity of pressure on the discharge side. An obvious remedy for this diliculty which has been repeatedly suggested for years past, is the resort to dual or multiple stage reduction; that is to say, the provision of a primary reducing valve for dealing with the high pressures, und a secondary (or even a tertiary) valve of greater sensitiveness for e'ecting thenelreduetion. This expedient has been successfully adopted in other arts Where it is necessary to accomplish a, reduction troni an excessively high pressure to a very lon7 pressure, and where it Wes requisite to maine` tain the linel pressure at an ideal approach to uniformity. `A familiar exemple is the well known lin'tsch gas system so largely used 'on railways. yTo apply such a dual stage reduction to the requirements of 'a torpedo, would involve that the primary Valve should drop the Tmrying pressure from the air flask to an approximately uniform pressure in the neighborhood of said GOO to 700 pounds; While the secondaryA Valve 1would etiect the relatively slight reduction from this' pressure to the nal pressure of sa-y 500 to 400 pounds, varying according to the, speed for which the torpedo is set. The adoption of this dual reduction schemehas `however been prevented by what has heretofore proved an insuperable obstacle, namely, that the torpedo Was already crowded so full of mechanism that the addition of anyfur- 'ther instrumentalities would he impracticable without increasing its size. Equally the addition of any material further Weight would he impracticeble Without changing 'the displacement of the torpedo. inasmuch as the sizeand Weight have for each type or make of torpedo become standard, any chongexin those respects would involve disadvantages tar more serious than the .com-

paratively trilling defect of the single valve reduction. The present invention, however, is believed to provide. a practicable means for applying the teostage principle of pressure' reduction Without inyolying any material increase in the size or the reducing instrumentalities.

The improvement introduced by this invention will be made apparent from the de scription oi' the accompinfiying drawings, wherein,

Figurel l is a diagrammetic View illustrating en imaginary foi-rangement of the reducing mechanism and other features to facilitate an understanding of this invention, all parts other than those concerned with the control and reduction of pressure, and with the course of the air from *he llaslr tothe engine, being omitted; Fig, 2 i s a longitudinal mid-section of the valve system provided by the present invention; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of' a torpedo showing the parts in elevation, and showing the acweight of iis tual arrangement of the valve system in its relation to the adjacent and connected parts.

Referring first to Fig. v1, let A designate the shell or hull of the torpedo, B the air flask or reservoir, C thepropeller screws, lD the turbine or other engi-ne, and E the propeller shaft. F is any usual starting valve. G and H are successive pressure reducing valves; J isy the superheaterya b c d and e are the successive air passages whereby the air is discharged through the respective valves to the superheater and (by the pipe e) to tle engine, that is, in the case of a turbine to its nozzle f. vThe arrangement shown in Fig, 1 is partly diagramma-tic, there being in a tor pedo no room for such an orderly -succession of parts. The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 is that which is actually u'sed in the Bliss- Leavitt torpedo, and a similarly compact arrangement is required vin the Whitehead or any other automobile torpedo. Fi 3 shows theA pipe a leading from the ask (not shown) to the starting-valve F. This valve according to my invention is built in one structure with lthe reducing valves G and H, the passages Z) c (Fig. 1) being formed Within the commen `shell inclosing these valves; .the figure slo'ws the passage d leadingthence to the super-heater J, the pipe e leading thence to the nozzle f of the turbine, and a bulkhead guinclosing the turbine and separating Vthe aftebody Imechanism from that in the mid-section of the torpedo. This figure does not show the fuel pot, the water flask and their connections, norany steering mechanism, all of which parts are packed closelywithin the mid-section of the torpedo.

Referring to Fig. 2, the preferred construction introduced by the present invention will be described. An inclosing shell K, preferably integral, is provided for the starting valve F and the reducing valves G and H. The starting valve is of well known construction, comprising a piston tappet h normally seating yagainst a seat z' to which it is pressed by a light spring j, Its piston body works freely in a cylindrical cavity la in the shell, which forms a chamber behindv the pistonA communicating through a port Z with a controlling valve (not shown) by thel opening or closing of which (which in pracf tice is performed by the starting hook) the escapeof pressure from the chamber 7c is controlled.' Before starting, with the parts in the position shown, the high pressure f communicates from the inlet a through a leak-duct m to the chamber la in which the same pressure exists, the escape through the port .Z being prevented by the closed control valve; hence the piston tappetvispressed to its seat `with a force equal to the area of the tappet in contact with the seat, multiplied by` the initial pressure. Qn opening the control valve, the pressure in-a rapidly blows out, so that the high pressure on the opposite side of the pistonfh .forcesit back against its spring,thereby opening the starting valve and holding it open so long asa free escape is aifoided through the control port Z this beinglthe condition which is maintained during the run. This construc-l tion of starting valve is well known and forms specifically no part of the presentinvention. Withinthe seat d .is an opening b which forms the passage (b in Fig. l) .com-

municating between theA starting valve Fv transmitted through this duct gf to., the

chamber s', where it acts against.thefpiston- 1' in opposition to the spring t. The .piston r presents 'a somewhat larger area to the air than that presentedby the tappet p; hence the effect of the airy pressure is to hold the tappet to it'sse'at, and to this is added the pressure against the tappet of theairin the passage. o on the opposite side ofthe tappet (say 600 pounds per square inch) multipliedl by the annular area of the tappet outsde'its stem; to these pressures tending to close the,l valve is opposed the stress of the spring: t. tending to open it. In operation, when the;

pressure on the outlet side falls below that for. which portioned (say 600 pounds) the stress of (in passage c) vthe spring ,predominates and opens 3 the valve; upon thepressure in c exceeding the predetermined pressure, this excessive pres-` the valve is prosure acting against the back of the tappet,

closes it to or toward its seat; hence in action the reducing valve G adjusts itself to v such opening as will permit a flow past it just sufficient to maintain the prescribed pressure of for example 600 pounds per square inch. This is the well understood operation of partially balanced reducing valves of this character. The reducing valve H which effects the. final reduction,.is'

in general of known construction, and differs from. similar valves heretofore used in practice only in that it is .proportioned to effect a much smaller reduction in pressure than heretofore. In the `xample-shown it reduces the pressure from say 600 -pounds in the passage c to say 450 pounds .in the pas sage rZ leading from it .to the supeFheater.

As shown, it is constructed with a tappet'u4 lac closing against the outlet side of the seat v and carried on a rod orfstern u which carries also a vplunger c of slightly greater area than the seat c, so that the air pressure .in c tends toclose the tappet to its seat.

open. This pressure is adjustable by means of a screw which may be set in more or less to torce inwardlythe plunger or abutment y' against which the spring reacts.l The adjustment ot' the screw 2 determines` the'tinal pressure in passage d and hence determines the speed of the torpedo. As some air pressure is liable to leak into the spring chambers and .'c, which would intert'ere with tbe balance ot' the respective valves, these chambers are vented through ports t and .r respectively. lt ivill be understood that by arranging the primary reducing valve closl alongside the reducing valve H and close to the starting valve FV, and providing one shell K (preterably'in tegral) in common for these three valves, I attain a degree of compactness which for the first time has rendered possible ythe use ot' tivo successive reducing valves in the restricted space available within the torpedo. At the same time the additional Weight is so tritling as to be well within the limits of practicabilituv. Both thc valves (i and il in their operative elements and mode oi action, are ot known type and construction; and the construction otthese valves may be greatly varied. or` maliv be substituted by other or equivalent constructions, without departing i'rom the present invention. The invention ma)v also be modified in other Ways, as 'will be apparent or as may be necessitated by the specilic construction and arrzingement oi' the other parts ot' the tor-` pedo.

i claim as my invention-:M

l. A valve `group tor an automobile torpedo comprising a starting valve, and two. i successive reducing` valves, said starting s cribing witnesses.

valve and the primary reducing valvev have ing tappet members engaging seats on opposite sides ot' an openinv.

2. A valve group for an automobile torpedo comprising a starting valve, and two successive reducing valves, said starting valve and the primary reducing valve having tappet members engaging seats on opposite sides ot' an opening, and having their members controiling such tappet members extended in contrary directions to opposite sides of said opening.

3. A valve group for an automobile torpedo comprising a starting valve, and two successive reducing valves, said' starting valve and the primary reducing valve having `tappet members engaging seats on opposite sides of an opening, and said redneing valve comprising a stein carryingsaid tappet having a balancing piston on said stem, a cylinder iii-which said piston moves, the chamber on one side ot' said piston having a passage communicating with the high pressure side ot' the valve to admit pressure thereto tending to close the tappet, and a spring tending to open the tappeti el. valve group t'or an automobile torpedo comprising a starting valve, and tivo 'successive reducing valves, said starting valve and the primar)y reducing valve iiaving tappet members engaging seats on opposite sides of an opening, and said primary reducing valve comprising a stem carrying said trppet, a piston on said stem, a cylinder in which said piston moves, said stein having a passage through it admitting high pressure air to said cylinder on the remote sideot' said piston to establish a pressure therein tending to closethe tappet, and aspring in said cylinder pressing against said piston and tending to open the tappet.

In witness whereof, have hereunto signed my name in the presence ot' tivo sub- 7 Wismar; Disfrna. Witnesses Fiuioii. C. FLADD, Fanoamcii L. CQLWFLL, Jr. 

